US and Saudi Forces Strike Iran-Aligned Militias in Iraq After Missiles Hit American Troops in Jordan

A short pause in the United States-Iran war ended on Tuesday when American and Saudi forces carried out joint air operations against Iran-aligned militias in Iraq. Dawn reported the two governments described the targets as "Iran-aligned terrorists" and framed the strikes as retaliation for recent attacks.

The strikes followed an Iranian missile launch that widened the confrontation. According to Globes, citing the United States military, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces fired several ballistic missiles from Iran in what American commanders called an attempted surprise attack on United States forces stationed in the Middle East, reporting that the missiles were intercepted. Al-Monitor and other outlets reported the missiles were aimed at American forces based in Jordan. Jordan's military said it intercepted five missiles launched from Iran early Wednesday, hours after the American strikes.

Accounts of the aftermath differ by source. The United States Central Command and the Saudi Defence Ministry blamed the militias for more than 30 drone attacks on Saudi territory over 72 hours. Iraq's Popular Mobilisation Forces said its members were killed and wounded in strikes across seven provinces, putting the toll as high as 20 killed and 32 wounded, while other accounts cited at least 15 dead. The Hindu reported that Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi ordered his security agencies to investigate, and the government called an emergency meeting, placing Baghdad between Washington, Riyadh and Tehran.

The exchanges came after both sides had declared a ceasefire agreement void, reducing the chance of a return to the negotiations that had briefly lowered the war risk premium in oil prices.